Florida Dad Arrested For Egging Teen Son On In Street Fistfight

A Florida man is facing child abuse charges after a video surfaced this week showing him loudly coaching his son as the boy fights a fellow teenager.

Philip Struthers, 41, was arrested yesterday afternoon by Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputies. The self-employed Tampa contractor, pictured in the mug shot at right, is currently being held in lieu of $2500 bond for felony child abuse and a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a child.

According to a sheriff's report, Struthers egged on his son last Thursday afternoon as the boy fought a fellow 16-year-old outside the Struthers residence (the teens were brawling over a girl). As seen in the above video, Struthers can clearly be heard yelling encouragements such as, “Knock him out, Jake,” “Punch his eyes out,” “Slam his head on the ground,” and “Punch him, punch him.”

Deputies learned of the fistfight Monday when a neighbor of Struthers contacted them and pointed deputies to the online video, which was first posted on a hip-hop web site.

On a related note, a Florida woman is facing trial next month for cheering on her 16-year-old daughter as the girl fought with a classmate. April Newcomb was originally charged last September with felony child abuse, but that count was later reduced by prosecutors to contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a misdemeanor.